Dutch courage and Dutch treat
February 14, 2005
Béné asked me the following question in the comments on the French side:
"I've encountered "Dutch treat" and "Dutch courage" in a translation. Do you know equivalent expressions using nationalities?"
These two expressions are a good illustration of a basic principle in translation: don't pay too much attention to the words and concentrate on the meaning they carry.
The flurry of disparaging expressions using "Dutch" in English stems from the difficult relations between England and Holland in the 17th and 18th centuries, during which they fought four wars against each other. This explains why Dutch people weren't particularly popular and had a reputation for being cowardly (Dutch courage) and stingy (Dutch treat or going Dutch), amongst other things.
This historical baggage explains why it is difficult, and almost impossible, to find direct equivalents in French. Just because the English decided to mock the Dutch by making up disparaging expressions doesn't mean that the French did the same with their numerous enemies. That is why in this case, the safest and most accurate option will be to paraphrase what is meant, in other words, to spell out in a sentence the meaning intended by these obscure expressions without making reference to them. I won't hazard a translation here without context, but it'd be really interesting to hear what solution you came to, Béné. I also wonder whether the Dutch also have expressions reflecting their tumultuous history with England…
I've found one: Een Engelse brief schrijven. = to take an afternoon nap (word for word: to write an English letter). Wonder why....
I got it from this nice Dutch expression-database:
http://www.spreekwoord.nl/
This is a fantastic blog!
Posted by Imola on February 15, 2005 7:39 AM"Dutch courage" does not simply mean "liking alcohol a bit too much." It's slightly more nuanced than that. Rather than lampoon the Dutch for being drunks, the emphasis is on their perceived cowardice: if you are scared or nervous about doing something, you are often told to "get Dutch courage", i.e. to have a few drinks to give you reckless confidence.
Posted by Badaud on February 15, 2005 12:27 PMThanks Badaud, you're right, I didn't explain myself very well on this one. I'll change it when I get a minute.
Posted by céline on February 15, 2005 1:13 PMMy Dutch is pretty weak, but I have heard of one other expression: "Dat is Engels gaar", meaning something has been cooked in an English fashion or underdone. Applied to a person, I believe it means he or she isn't very clever.
I've always liked the English idiom "to speak like a Dutch uncle", meaning to offer criticism or unwelcome advice.
Posted by Andrew on February 16, 2005 3:21 PMIn Japanese "Dutch wife" means a blow-up sex doll. Don't ask me why.
And, this has nothing to do with anything, but I think my new motto is going to be "The original fails to capture the essence of the translation."
Here's a site about what different European nations think of eachother and what expressions they use:
http://faculty.uml.edu/jgarreau/50.315/Europ1.htm
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